Astronaut Prasanth Nair Biography: Indian astronaut is going to kiss the sky after 40 years

Prasanth Nair Age, Date of Birth, Pilot, Education

Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair was born on 26 August 1976 in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala. On 19 December 1998, he joined the fighter wing of the Indian Air Force. He has studied at the National Defense Academy (NDA) and was awarded the Sword of Honor for the best cadet at the Air Force Academy. Prashant is a leading flight instructor and test pilot who has flown more than 3000 hours. He has flown many aircraft like Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier, AN-32. He has also been an alumnus of the Staff College of Pacific America.

Journey from Kerala village to the moon

The reason for this is that one of the four people who will take India to the moon is one of their own. Hailing from the village of Nenmara, Group Captain Prashant Nair, son of Valampil Balakrishnan and Coolanghat Pramila, was born in 1976. He completed his studies in Kuwait, where his father worked. While studying at NSS Engineering College, Palakkad, he joined the National Defense Academy (NDA) and was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in December 1998.

Group Captain Nair's career in Indian Air Force

Group Captain Nair, a Sukhoi fighter aircraft pilot, has been awarded the 'Sword of Honour', which is awarded to the best all-round cadet at the Air Force Academy. “He is also a Category A flight instructor and test pilot, with approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience, and has flown a variety of aircraft including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Hawk, Dornier and An-32. Have flown planes,” said an Air Force officer.

Nair, 47, “is also an alumnus of the United States Staff College and has been DS at DSSC, Wellington and FIS, Tambaram,” the spokesperson said, adding that he has commanded a premier fighter Su-30 squadron.

Marriage with Malayalam actress Leena ( Prasanth Nair Wife)

As Group Captain Nair was introduced as one of the four astronaut-candidates, Malayalam actress Lena revealed that she is married to him. “Today, on 27 February 2024, our Prime Minister Modi Ji awarded the first Indian astronaut wings to Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force. This is a historic moment of pride for our country, our state of Kerala and for me personally. To maintain the required confidentiality officially, I was waiting for this announcement to tell you that I married Prashant through an arranged marriage in a traditional ceremony on 17th January 2024,” Leena said in a post on Instagram. .

Lena's unexpected announcement

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair as one of the pilots training for the mission. Lena shared a part of the official video on her Instagram post, followed by pictures from their traditional wedding ceremony. Leena and Captain Prashanth were seen wearing garlands, smiling along with their family members.

Leena's special revelation

In the caption, he wrote: “Today, February 27, 2024, our Prime Minister, Modi ji awarded the first Indian astronaut wings to Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force. This is a historic moment of pride for our country, our state of Kerala and for me personally.”

She told that she was waiting for this announcement so that she could share the special news of her marriage. “To maintain the required confidentiality officially, I was waiting for this announcement to tell you that I married Prashant through an arranged marriage in a traditional ceremony on January 17, 2024.”

Astronaut training

The four astronauts completed their general training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia from February 2020 to March 2021. ISRO signed an MoU with Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian space agency Roscosmos, for training in June 2019.

Gaganyaan Mission Indian Astronauts

Apart from Prashant, the other three astronauts undergoing training are Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Subhanshu Shukla. Gaganyaan is India's first human spaceflight mission, and the training will take place at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram. According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan program aims to demonstrate human spaceflight in low Earth orbit (LEO) in the near future and will lay the foundation for a sustainable Indian human space exploration program in the long term.